Johns Hopkins women’s lacrosse has enjoyed wins in the Big Ten, but perhaps not one as thorough or convincing as what took place Saturday afternoon.
The No. 10 Blue Jays’ 15-5 rout of visiting Ohio State before an announced 300 at Homewood Field was the program’s largest margin of victory against a conference opponent since joining the Big Ten for the 2017 season.
The five goals allowed tied a school mark for the fewest surrendered to a league foe since Johns Hopkins defeated Ohio State, 13-5, on April 20, 2018, and Penn State, 10-5, on April 28, 2022.
“Now that we’re getting into the Big Ten [portion of the schedule], it’s super critical,” junior attacker Ashley Mackin said. “Every single game matters. We don’t need to look at the ranking next to the team. Every single game is going to be difficult, and we’ve got to use that and play the full 60 so that we’re ready for the next one.”
The Blue Jays (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) were dominant on both ends of the field. They scored the game’s first four goals, carried an 8-2 advantage into halftime and initiated a running clock when they took a 12-2 lead midway through the third quarter.
Senior attacker Campbell Case amassed three goals and one assist in the opening frame and tied career highs in both goals (four) and points (five). Mackin compiled two goals and one assist in the second half en route to finishing with five points on three goals and two assists.
But both players insisted they were the most visible beneficiaries of an offense that relies on contributions from all seven players on that side of the field.
“I wouldn’t say that I set the tone in any capacity,” Case said of her individual performance. “I think our offense is the seven people out there, and one of the mindsets that I try to go with is, we over me. It might have been me having the last touch on the ball before it went in the back of the net, but at the end of the day, it’s all seven that helped me get there.”
Mackin said Case’s hat trick in the first quarter spurred the offense.
“I think it just started the juice for everybody,” said Mackin, who, with 30 goals and 11 assists this spring in only 10 games, has already surpassed career bests of 19 goals and 10 assists in 13 games last season. “We get to play off of what she’s doing. If she’s taking charge, we want to be right there with her and keep it going through every single quarter.”
Five players found the net at least twice each, and that versatility will be particularly important in light of the season-ending knee injury suffered by senior midfielder Georgie Gorelick (four goals and five assists) during practice earlier in the week.
“Definitely a hard loss, and it was definitely hard to see,” Case said of Gorelick’s absence. “But I think having that depth definitely helped us realize how we could pivot from that.”
As prolific as the offense was, the defense was similarly imposing. Johns Hopkins shut out the Buckeyes for stretches of 8:05, 17:31, and 16:27, limited them to 13 shots (compared with 35 for the Blue Jays) and forced them into 27 turnovers.
Senior defender Jordan Carr caused four turnovers, and sophomore linemates Hannah Johnson (Bryn Mawr) and Reagan O’Brien finished with three caused turnovers each. Graduate student goalkeeper Madison Doucette was rarely tested, making just five saves.
The defense’s display did not escape the attention of coach Tim McCormack.
“They were aggressive, they got out, they were good under pressure,” he said. “When they did get feeds inside, we didn’t foul. We kept our arms soft, and when the ball hit the ground, it was in our sticks. I don’t know if we allowed any second-chance opportunities, and that will help. We had great saves, clean saves.”
Senior attacker Jamie Lasda paced Ohio State with team highs in both goals (two) and draw controls (four), and junior midfielder Annie Hargraves added one goal and one assist. But a significant factor in the Buckeyes (6-4, 0-3) dropping their third game in the past four was a 29-11 disparity in ground balls despite controlling just one fewer draw than the Blue Jays did.
“It looked like we were a little hesitant on some of those ground ball efforts and 50-50 balls inside the circle when they dropped,” coach Amanda Moore said. “It was like we were waiting for somebody to get her stick inside first.”
Johns Hopkins’ response after a 14-9 loss to No. 1 and reigning NCAA champion Northwestern on March 16 was exactly what Case had been hoping for. And with games against No. 6 James Madison (8-2) on March 30, No. 2 Maryland (8-1) on April 10, and No. 3 Michigan (10-0) on April 14 in five games before the start of the Big Ten Tournament, she said the team understands what awaits.
“Going forward, you have to show up and be able to punch first and then be able to punch back even harder,” she said. “Against Northwestern, we definitely want a lot of those plays back, but I think just moving forward, we need to be able to show up no matter who is on the other side.”
No. 6 James Madison at No. 10 Johns Hopkins
Saturday, 5 p.m.